the unsung heroines of sports history

Emma Rowena
Gatewood, better known as Grandma Gatewood was an extreme hiker and
ultra-light hiking pioneer who was the first woman to hike the Appalachian
Trail from Mount Oglethorpe in Georgia to Mount Katahdin in Maine solo, and
in one season. Gatewood was born in Ohio and was a farmer's wife who
physically beat her on a regular basis starting from the first weeks of
their marriage. She recalled being beaten nearly to death on several
occasions. She suffered broken ribs, broken teeth, and other injuries
during her marriage. When things became bad, she would run from the house
into the woods where she found peace and solitude. She eventually
successfully divorced him. In 1955, at the age of 67, Gatewood told her
children that she was going for a walk. They did not ask where or for how
long, as they knew she was resilient and would take care of herself. About
5 years earlier, Gatewood read an article in National Geographic about the
AT and thought "it would be a nice lark," though in retrospect
considering the difficulty she added "It wasn't." Thus she took
little in the way of outdoor gear. She wore Keds sneakers and carried an
army blanket, a raincoat, and a plastic shower curtain in a homemade denim
bag slung over one shoulder. She would later say "For some fool reason,
they always lead you right up over the biggest rock to the top of the
biggest mountain they can find. She hiked the AT again at age 75 in 1963,
making her the first person to hike the trail three times. She traveled to
every state of the continental United States. In 1970, at age 83, while
visiting Appalachian Outfitters in Oakton, Virginia she was asked what she
thought about the latest lightweight backpacking gear. Emma advised:
"Make a rain cape, and an over the shoulder sling bag, and buy a
sturdy pair of Keds tennis shoes. Stop at local groceries and pick up
Vienna sausages...most everything else to eat you can find beside the trail...
and by the way those wild onions are not called "Ramps"... they
are "Rampions" ... a ramp is an inclined plane." I will be
picking up a copy of Grandma Gatewood's Walk: The Inspiring Story of the
Woman Who Saved the Appalachian Trail #butchhistory